CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Paul Faraci announced that a combined total of $871,000 is coming to communities in Champaign and Vermilion counties to support local revitalization efforts.

“Excellent work is being done in our community to rehab deteriorating residential properties to get these homes back on the market,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “So much can be done to make our neighborhoods stronger and safer with investment in this program.”

The Illinois Housing Development Authority recently approved $19 million to support affordable housing and community revitalization efforts across Illinois. Awarded under the Strong Communities Program, the initiative will provide funding to 68 units of local governments and land bank authorities for the acquisition, maintenance, rehabilitation and demolition of abandoned residential properties in their communities. The program is designed to support local revitalization efforts and attract further investment in communities that may lack the resources needed to tackle vacant, abandoned and deteriorated properties.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Paul Faraci which makes the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program permanent is now law.

“This will help students from working-class families afford college,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “We need to keep our best and brightest here, and this legislation will really make a difference.”

Beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, The Aspirational Institutional Match Helping Illinois Grow Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Grant Program has provided merit-based, means-tested student financial aid to first-time, full-time undergraduate students and transfer students who are Illinois residents attending any of the 12 Illinois public four-year universities. AIM HIGH-participating universities are required to provide matching funding for institutional awards for students who meet certain eligibility requirements, as well as those established by each individual university.

Senator Faraci’s legislation will do a few things, including making the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program permanent, increasing transparency in the program to allow more students to take advantage, increasing access for part-time students and making changes to the matching requirements for the public universities.

“Students from Illinois deserve the opportunity to afford college if that is the route they take,” said Faraci. “If we make things easier for our students, then they will stay after they graduate to help build our local economy.”

House Bill 301 was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored State Senator Paul Faraci aimed at creating a hunger-free campus grant program was signed into law.

“This is a good step in the right direction to address inequalities when it comes to access to food on campus,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “If we want to help students, we have to make the necessary investments in all different aspects of college.”

Faraci’s legislation aims to address student hunger by providing funding for grants to higher education institutions that have one or more campuses designated as hunger-free campuses. The grants will be used to leverage sustainable solutions, raise awareness of existing services on campus and build strategic partnerships to address food insecurity among students. The legislation also requires each institution to establish a hunger task force to determine strategies for achieving a hunger-free campus in order to be eligible for the grant.

Representative Carol Ammons (D-Champaign) sponsored this measure in the House.

Other states including California, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Louisiana and Pennsylvania have already adopted customized versions of the Hunger Free Campus legislation. Swipe Out Hunger reports that more than $100 million has been distributed nationwide through the Hunger Free Campus Act, with California alone supporting over two million students.

House Bill 2528 was signed into law on Friday and takes effect immediately.

CHAMPAIGN - Senator Paul Faraci and Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs teamed up to return $47,000 in cash from two forgotten PayPal accounts to a small business owner in Champaign. The two accounts were part of roughly 360,000 unclaimed PayPal accounts the Illinois Treasurer has received in recent years and is safeguarding for as long as it takes to find their rightful owners.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving local job creation and ensuring the economic stability of our state,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This story demonstrates the immense value Treasurer Frerichs’ unclaimed property program has for Illinois residents and businesses alike.”

CHAMPAIGN – Building upon the smart infrastructure investments supported by Senator Paul Faraci, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced an additional $200 million in road and bridge improvement projects is coming to Champaign and Vermilion Counties.

“Fixing our roads and bridges is good for the safety of our community and our local economy,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “It’s good to see IDOT giving our area a fair share of the taxpayer dollars that go into infrastructure improvements.”

As part of IDOT’s latest Multi-Year Plan under Rebuild Illinois, the district Faraci represents will see 51 infrastructure projects totaling $201,626,000 over the next six years.

Some of the most vital projects coming to the area include:

• 7.24 miles of repaving and repairs to I-74 between US-150 and the Illinois/Indiana border.
• 3 miles of ADA improvements and repaving to US-45/Neil St. from Springfield Ave. in Champaign to Curtis Rd. in Savoy.
• 1.76 miles of repaving and median repair on US-136 between Rantoul Foods and Broadmeadow Elementary School.

These projects are part of IDOT’s Multi-Year Plan, a $40 billion investment in construction projects for the next six fiscal years. The project invests in all modes of transportation: roads and bridges, aviation, transit, freight and passenger rail, waterways, as well as bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

“Illinois is actually putting money where its mouth is by making these investments,” Faraci said. “It’s always good to see construction going on because it means that that our roads will be improved and our residents will have more good-paying job opportunities.”

To find a full list of projects slated for the 52^nd Senate District, visit IDOT’s website.

SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Paul Faraci’s measure to rename and expand the ABLE Account Program in honor of the late Senator Scott Bennett was signed into law.

“Senator Scott Bennett was passionate in his advocacy for people living with disabilities and their families,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “He was their voice, their supporter and their defender when they didn’t have one. By renaming the ABLE Account program in honor of Senator Bennett, his endless service and commitment to bettering the lives and world around him will always be remembered.” 

The program, created and passed by Senator Scott Bennett during the 99th General Assembly, allows individuals with disabilities and their families to save money for expenses related to living with a disability without losing access to certain federal government assistance. Under Faraci’s legislation, the ABLE Account Program will be renamed to the Senator Scott Bennett ABLE Program.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci passed legislation to expand university admissions opportunities to community college transfer students who meet certain academic requirements.

“This pilot program at the University of Illinois has yielded great success,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This action will provide more students throughout Illinois with the opportunity to pursue higher education within the state.”

SPRINGFIELD – To honor the life and legacy of the late Senator Scott Bennett, State Senator Paul Faraci advanced a measure to name portions of I-74 the "Senator Scott M. Bennett Memorial Highway."

“Senator Bennett was treasured by friends, family and his community,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “His camaraderie and his dedication to serving his constituents will forever be missed. However, this is a way we can continue to honor him for decades to come”

Senator Scott Bennett joined the Senate as the unanimous choice to fill the vacancy in the 52^nd State Senate District in 2015. Since the beginning of his career, Senator Bennett dedicated his service to spurring economic development, supporting family farming, providing Illinois’ students with greater opportunities, and promoting bipartisanship across the state. As chair of the Senate’s Higher Education Committee, he was a champion for higher education facilities by advocating for funding and student rights.